STAUNTON - U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-6th, held an event to honor Vietnam War veterans in Staunton Thursday, thanking about 150 men and women from the 6th District for their service.

"You served our country honorably and you deserve to be treated with praise and respect," Goodlatte said to the group.

It was great to be recognized, said Air Force veteran Larry Smedley, of Lexington, because that hasn't always been the case for those who fought for the country in the Vietnam War. He remembers being spat on after he got home from the war and said no one thanked him for his service until 1988.

For that reason he said it felt really good to see demonstrators with signs thanking the veterans lining the drive in Gypsy Hill Park outside the event, which was held at the Thomas D. Howie Memorial Armory in the park.

With poster-board signs of appreciation for the veterans' service in hand, the 30 or so people gathered outside called for Goodlatte to do more for them with policy and not just honor them with the ceremony.

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Kathy Schneiderman, Dreama Anderson, Anne Hunter and Skylar Hunter, all of Staunton, hold signs in support of veterans outside a U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-6th, event to honor Vietnam War veterans in Staunton, Va., on Thursday, March 30, 2017.(Photo: Gabe Cavallaro/The News Leader)

"Honoring them is more than just talk," said Anne Hunter, of Staunton, who noted that her father served in the U.S. Navy. She said she thinks President Donald Trump's proposed budget will be bad for veterans and since Goodlatte has said he supports it, his event Thursday was "superficial."

"We can do better — we should do better," said Dreama Anderson, of Staunton, who proudly mentioned that her father and several of her cousins are veterans. "Politicians who don't support vets should be called out on it."

She said she thinks since small grassroots groups phoning their representatives may have influenced the political process enough to torpedo the American Healthcare Act in Congress last week, that maybe they can have the same kind of impact for better veterans' benefits with a similar approach.

Goodlatte said there is always more "we all can do" to honor Vietnam veterans and that while it's impossible to convey our gratitude, "we must always try." He said he thinks the American Healthcare Act would "definitely" have done enough for veterans when combined with their separate veterans benefit system and that he was "disappointed we couldn't quite get to a majority vote" on the legislation, as he strongly supports it.

"I think he's doing a little 'red, white and blue' washing of his policies," said Caroline Sheridan, of Staunton, who was among the group of demonstrators outside.

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Nanci Kalanta, of Staunton, holds up a sign in support of veterans healthcare with her mouth taped-over outside an event U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte held to honor Vietnam War veterans in Staunton, Va., on Thursday, March 30, 2017.(Photo: Gabe Cavallaro/The News Leader)

She said she was glad to see Goodlatte honoring veterans, but that she thinks he needs to "honor his constituents" too and be available to them with public in-person meetings.

In answering questions after the event, Goodlatte reiterated that he has no immediate plans to hold an in-person public town hall meeting with his 6th District constituents, as he thinks the telephone town halls he's been holding are working well and present a better method to reach people.

"I make myself very accessible," he said. "Our objective is to have a civil discourse with constituents, not a three-ring circus."

Several people demonstrating outside had tape placed over their mouths — symbolic of Goodlatte's constituents' "loss of voice," said Nanci Kalanta, of Staunton.

And while Goodlatte has said he doesn't plan to hold in-person public town hall meetings because of the "mob mentality" he thinks they foster, Anderson noted that he'd be "hard-pressed" to give the quiet group of demonstrators outside the ceremony Thursday that description.

"I'd be flattered, really [if he said that]," she said with a chuckle.

U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-6th, took questions on town hall meetings, the American Healthcare Act and the allegations of Russian election hacking after an event in Staunton, Va., on Thursday, March 30, 2017.
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